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Shaker Village Gets National Trust Award

October 16, 2007 - NEW GLOUCESTER - Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Forest and Farm has received a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The project is one of 21 national award winners the trust honored during its week-long 2007 National Preservation Conference in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is home to the world's only active Shaker community, and the 1,700-acre property is one of Maine's most important and intact cultural landscapes.

Thousands of visitors from around the globe visit the village every year to witness the historic architecture, working landscape and scenic vistas. But with only four Shakers still living in the community, the village has been working to ensure that their legacy will continue and their land will not be lost to new development.

"The preservation of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village ensures that the great legacy of this community will endure for generations to come," said Richard Moe, president of the national trust. "Its protection, achieved largely by private action, is a true feat. It offers a much-needed model for future collaborations between local, state and federal agencies seeking creative solutions for the safety of both the built and natural environment."

After a five-year collaborative effort by the Shaker community, the Trust for Public Land, Maine Preservation and other partners, this National Historic Landmark's future is secure. The coalition obtained preservation and conservation easements that protect the village's landscape and 17 historic structures, neutralizing the threat of inappropriate development and keeping the farmland in use.

More than $3 million was raised, which included more than $1 million for the establishment of three endowments for restoration and ongoing maintenance of the site.

Co-nominees honored for Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Forest and Farm's Honor Award were Maine Preservation; the Trust for Public Land; the New England Forestry Foundation; Land for Maine's Future Program; USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program; United Society of Shakers; Royal River Conservation Trust; and Friends of the Shakers.

For more information, visit the trust's web site at www.nationaltrust.org.

SOURCE: Sun-Journal

DATE: 10-11-2007


Lakes: Sabbathday Lake
Regions: Sebago


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